Men's 5000m Final

David Kipkoech Bett and John Kipkoech reinforced Kenyan dominance of the distance races here at the World Junior Championships when they finished 1-2 in the 5000m final after disposing of all challengers with 2,000m remaining in the race.

Kipkoech was the early leader, towing most of the pack through a 2:42.85 1km split before Bett joined him at the front and the pace began to drop.

Bett's move split a pack of five away from the field, including himself, Kipkoech, and the Ethiopians Belete Assefa and Atsedu Tsegay, and Uganda's Moses Kibet. While Kibet hung at the back, the two Ethiopians approached but never took the lead. The 2km split of 5:16.05 meant the second 1,000m had been covered in 2:34, markedly quicker than the first.

Bett injected still more pace on the backstretch, however, splitting Atsedu and Kibet off the back and leaving Assefa alone with the Kenyans. By 3,000m (7:52.78, a 2:36) Assefa was gone, and even though the pace was slackening the two Kenyans were on their own. With four laps to go they were lapping other runners.

Behind them, as Assefa fell back, he found himself overtaken by a chase pack including Kibet and Morocco's Aziz Lahbabi. The pair overtook Assefa with 600m remaining, and at the bell Lahbabi left Kibet and Assefa behind and set out to get back in contact with Bett and Kipkoech.

The gap was too great to be closed, however, and Bett was so confident as to begin celebrating with 50m remaining. He basked in the applause of the crowd through to his finish in 13:23.76. He then turned to welcome home Kipkoech, second in 13:26.03 (a PB) before Lahbabi arrived at 13:28.92, a personal best for his trouble. Kibet took fourth in 13:36.59.

Behind them, Tsegay and Japan's Kazuto Nishiike set PBs, at 13:54.24 and 13:54.33 respectively, as did Burundi's Vianney Ndiho at 14:04.99.